Published : 24 Aug 2026, 06:07 PM
Updated : 08 Sep 2026, 09:35 AM
Eighteen days after the severed head and two hands of a 19-year-old woman were recovered in Dhaka’s Sabujbagh, police have yet to find the remaining parts of her body.
Five suspects are being questioned in remand over the killing, while investigators have sought to formally arrest another suspect who is already in jail in a separate case. A hearing on the application is scheduled for Monday.
The victim’s parents identified the recovered remains as those of Suraiya Akter, also known as Falani, after seeing photographs of her head and tattoos on her hands.
Falani, 19, was the daughter of Bajlul Bepari of Dhalikandi village in Munshiganj.
Her remains were recovered from the Baganbari area of Madartek in Sabujbagh.
Sub-Inspector Rashedul Hasan of Sabujbagh Police Station filed a case against unidentified suspects on Aug 6 over the killing.
Investigating officer Sub-Inspector Nure Alam Siddique said police were still searching for the missing parts of Falani’s body.
“Five suspects are being questioned in remand. None of them is saying anything,” he told bdnews24.com.
Police suspect the killing may have followed a confrontation after Falani refused to have sexual relations with multiple people, according to Siddique.
“However, we suspect that the incident may have happened because she did not agree to have sexual relations with multiple people,” he said.
Police arrested Falani’s friend Nusrat Jahan Sahida, 19, from the Shahjahanpur cemetery area around 8:30pm on Friday. Later, around 9:45pm, they arrested Faruk alias Jamai Faruk, 45; Sujon, 20; Mamun, 20; and Rafi Islam alias Bappi, 19, from the Baganbari bridge.
They were produced before a court on Saturday, with police seeking 10 days of remand for each. Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Manjurul Islam granted four days of remand for each of them.
According to the remand petition, CCTV footage from before the incident showed the victim, the arrestees and several unidentified people sitting together on the Baganbari culvert for a long time around 9:30pm on Aug 3.
They subsequently took the victim to an unknown location. She was not seen anywhere afterward. Around 12:20am on Aug 4, everyone except Faruk and Falani was seen on the culvert. After waiting there for some time, they left separately.
Meanwhile, Khilgaon police arrested another person named Rocky on Aug 5. He was sentenced to three months’ rigorous imprisonment by a mobile court and is currently being held at Keraniganj Central Jail.
Prosecution department Sub-Inspector Mominul Islam said the court has fixed Monday for a hearing on whether Rocky should formally be formally arrested in the case.
Investigating Officer SI Nure Alam said, “The victim and all the accused used to hang out together. Among four friends, Falani agreed to have a sexual relationship with one of them.”
“She went with one of them. At that point, three others entered the place. She did not agree to have sexual relations with them, and there may have been a struggle. It was then the murder took place.”
When asked, he said: “Sahida initially said that Rocky committed the crime. Later she said that first one person did it, then another, and then another. Rocky is currently in jail after being arrested in another case. An application has been filed to show him arrested in this case.
“The other four arrestees were with Sahida. CCTV footage shows them having a meeting. Three others are still absconding. Efforts to arrest them are ongoing.”
The application to place Rocky under arrest says that Sahida told investigators during questioning that Rocky was directly involved in the incident. A review of CCTV footage also reportedly showed Rocky at the scene.
What Falani’s Parents Say
Falani was the youngest of three children—two daughters and a son. Her parents, Bajlul Bepari and Peyara Begum, have married off their elder daughter and son. The couple live in the Mayakanon area of Sabujbagh.
Bajlul Bepari works cleaning and maintaining a mosque beside the Jhilpar area of Mugda, while Peyara Begum works as a street cleaner.
Falani’s father said, “My daughter never told us where she was going. She did not listen to us. At one point she told us that she had gotten married. She never gave any importance to what we said.”
“We tried many times to guide her back to family, but we couldn’t. My daughter has been murdered. I cannot explain how I feel. I feel terrible.”
Speaking through tears, he said: “On Aug 15, the police called us and showed us my daughter’s head and two hands. We recognised her.”
“I want justice for those who killed my daughter. I want exemplary punishment.”
Her mother, Peyara Begum, said: “She didn’t listen to us. She never told us where she was going. We tried many times to bring her back home, but she wouldn’t listen. We are poor people.”
“Her father cleans a mosque and I sweep the roads and streets. I leave home at 6am and return at 5pm. We had to leave our daughter at home while we struggled to earn a living.”
She said, “We hadn’t heard from our daughter for several days. We searched everywhere, but couldn’t find her. On the 15th, the police informed us and took us there.”
“We recognised her from her clothes. She was our daughter. We heard that one of her female friends was involved in killing her. We want justice for our daughter’s murder.”
Peyara Begum said, “My daughter’s head and two hands are lying in the morgue. Police still haven’t found the rest of her body. How could they kill my daughter like this? Didn’t their hearts tremble? Are they not human?”
“If my daughter had committed a crime, they could have beaten her and handed her over to the authorities. Why did they kill her like this? We want justice. We want nothing except justice.”
Lawyer Umme Kulsum Kusum, representing Sujon, Mamun and Rafi, said: “The three were arrested as suspects. Their homes are only a few steps away from the area where the body was recovered, and they used to hang out on the bridge.”
“They were arrested on suspicion. Pressure was put on them to make them confess, but they were not involved. That is why the police sought a remand. However, they have no involvement in the incident.”
